Deck Design
This deck was designed around the idea that Attune with Aether is a good enabler for both Riddleform and Enigma Drake.
There is a small energy package within the deck: Attune with Aether, Aether Hub, Rogue Refiner, and Harnessed Lightning. Aether Hub makes it possible to play an aggressive deck in 3 colors along with the 8 Kaladesh Fast Lands, and Harnessed Lightning is the best removal spell in the format.
Crash Through
, Censor, and Attune with Aether all put an instant or sorcery in the graveyard while replacing themselves. Allowing us to churn through the deck to find our limited number of threats.
Insult / Injury gives us the ability to end games out of nowhere which is very crucial for the deck as it plays kind of like a combo deck more than an aggro deck.
The core of the deck:
20 lands, 4 Attune with Aether
4 Shock, 4
Crash Through
, 4 Harnessed Lightning, 4 Censor
4 Riddleform, 4 Rogue Refiner, 4 Enigma Drake
3 Insult / Injury, 2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
That puts us to 57 cards, there are 3 flex spots that are open to whatever the meta looks like. I've tried a couple different things. I tried Bedlam Reveler but I found he was too slow. Other one mana cyclers like Hieroglyphic Illumination are OK. Burn spells are alright. I'm also a fan of Sweltering Suns (it only kills Rogue Refiner on our side). Glorybringer is another great flying threat that gives you more interaction but he does have the downside of being 5 mana. I don't like other cheap threats like
Voltaic Brawler
or Soul-Scar Mage as they aren't impactful enough late in the game and too easily blocked on the ground.
Gameplan
Your first priority is to find a threat. Whether that means in your opening hand or digging for it with cyclers and cantrips. Keeping a hand without a threat is usually not a good idea, but there are exceptions based on the match-up and the contents of your hand. (Note: Chandra, Torch of Defiance is definitely considered a "threat")
Your second priority is to load your graveyard with instants and sorceries so your Enigma Drakes get big. This is usually done by interacting with your opponents board with your removal and casting Attune with Aether to make your land drops.
This deck is great at setting up a turn 4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance on an empty board. With Shock, Harnessed Lightning, and Censor your opponent will have a hard time getting velocity in the early game. It's often correct to not play your creatures out and to hold up censor or removal in the early game if you have a Chandra in hand. Once Chandra is in play, you can use her +1 to generate mana and quickly deploy your threats (while still leaving up mana for interaction) and overwhelm your opponent. Overall she is a powerhouse in this deck with every ability being extremely relevant.
Ideas are greatly appreciated! I took 1st at FNM (9/8/17) with the deck (4-0-1 finish) when I tried the deck for the first time and am always looking for ways to improve it.
